EU to propose law to help police get data from tech firms

The European Commission will present plans to EU justice ministers Thursday designed to make it easier for authorities to get electronic evidence directly from tech companies to aid in police and terrorism investigations.

The move comes in the wake of terror attacks across Europe that have sparked a debate about information sharing, with police complaining evidence is increasingly out of reach on computers and servers.

Commission spokesman Christian Wigand told POLITICO the Commission will propose three options to justice ministers, though he did not specify which of them the EU favored.

“We’re talking hard law,” said a high-level Commission official, adding countries will work on legislation on common criteria to share evidence and request information from tech companies, including the option for police to get data directly from the cloud.

Ministers and the EU will discuss what type of data may fall within the scope of the law, ranging from noncontent data, such as location or traffic information, to personal communications.

The official said currently, companies like Facebook, Microsoft or messaging app Telegram, which has been used by criminal and terror networks, “don’t know if it’s illegal or not to share evidence” with authorities.

The Commission will present new rules by the end of the year.

“I am sure that now in the shadow of the recent terrorist attacks and increasing threats in Europe there will be more understanding among the ministers, even among those who come from countries where there has not been a terrorist attack,” European Commissioner for Justice Věra Jourová told Reuters about the proposals.